Wild Patagonia & Central Chile: Pumas, Penguins, Condors & More!

Puma © Andrew Whittaker

Magnificent Andean and Patagonian scenery, from towering Valdivian Forests to world-famous Torres del Paine and Tierra del Fuego National Parks, offering many wonderful southern tier birds, Pumas, a superb King Penguin colony, and huge condors— hallmarks of this fascinating tour to majestic Chile. Delightful spring weather offers a spectacular array of colorful blooming flowers while photographic opportunities abound.

A Puma hunting Guanaco against a backdrop of snow-capped spires, the raucous antics of a King Penguin colony, a pair of huge Magellanic Woodpeckers in a towering southern beech forest, fine wine in a comfortable lodge: Where else but Chile!

This tour showcases the majestic scenery and abundant wildlife of what is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful countries in the world. From Santiago to the famous Lake District, from charming Chiloé Island to wild Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, we will seek all of the special birds, mammals, and vivid landscapes for which Chile is so justly famous.

Stretching some 2,650 miles north to south and averaging only 110 miles across, this is both the longest and the narrowest country in the world. The mighty ice-capped peaks of the Andes dominate the topography, while the Pacific coastline teems with life. Our visit takes place in the radiant southern spring, when the weather is usually at its best, colorful wildflowers abound, birds are in stunning breeding plumage and singing, and photographic opportunities abound. Among the many special birds we hope to encounter are the endemic Chilean Tinamou, Moustached Turca, Dusky-tailed Canastero, and the colorful White-throated Tapaculo. Close views of the mighty Andean Condor are sure to leave us breathless, and as we pass through the vineyards of the fertile central valley, we should encounter localized Spectacled and stunning Torrent ducks and enjoy wonderful studies of colorful Burrowing Parakeets.

In Altos de Lircay National Reserve, Magellanic Woodpeckers are common, White-throated Hawks can be seen, and Green-backed Firecrowns abound at our lodge feeders; both the highly sought Chestnut-throated Huet-huet and the striking Rufous-legged Owl occur here as well. The temperate forests of Chile’s Lake District and Alerce Andino National Park are home to an equally rich avifauna, including the enigmatic tapaculos to very rare Rufous-tailed or Chilean Hawk and the endemic Slender-billed Parakeet. We will also pay an exciting visit to a colony of Humboldt and Magellanic penguins and several cormorants, while a comfortable ferry crossing to Chiloe Island should yield such special seabirds as Black-browed Albatross, Red-legged Cormorant, Magellanic Diving-Petrel, and our first Southern Giant-Petrels.

Tierra del Fuego, South America’s Land of Fire, is the home of colorful Dolphin Gulls. In the wetlands between the wild sea and the giant walls of the Paine Massif, Ashy-headed, Upland, and endangered Ruddy-headed geese breed among hordes of other waterfowl. We’ll search for the highly sought-after and rare Magellanic Plover, which we have seen on all of our past visits, and for colorful Rufous-chested and Tawny-throated dotterels. Magdalena Island is home to a thriving colony of Magellanic Penguins and, with luck, Snowy Sheathbill too. Always a highlight is our opportunity to visit a large rookery of King Penguins, complete with cute fluffy chicks.

As the grandest of grand finales, we’ll travel to Torres del Paine National Park, where Pumas abound and are fearless due to the lack of hunting and persecution! Imagine observing them stalk their prey amid glistening glaciers, turquoise lakes, and hillsides ablaze with scarlet, orange, and yellow wildflowers. We will also enjoy herds of wild Guanaco, flocks of Lesser Rhea, and majestic Andean Condors.

Those eager to experience more of Chile beyond what is offered on the main tour are encouraged to join our optional Santiago Highlights Extension. With a different suite of birds and landscapes our objective, we’ll travel from the Chilean capital to the breathtaking Andes and the rich Pacific Coast in pursuit of a host of range-restricted birds. Regional specialties include Humboldt Penguin, Andean Condor, Stripe-backed Bittern, Gray-breasted Seedsnipe, and the remarkable Diademed Sandpiper-Plover. Other highlights include a pelagic trip in the Humboldt Current and a visit to the house of Pablo Neruda, perhaps Chile’s most famous poet.

Easy birding throughout; good-to-high quality accommodations and food; tour moderately paced with a couple of action-packed but fairly long driving days; easy walking on varied terrain but mostly on roadsides and forest trails; Puma excursions can entail optional short walks on rolling terrain; spring weather conditions mostly sunny and pleasant; however, if the spring is late, we could experience cold temperatures with snow. Patagonia is often cold and can be windy.

King Penguins © Andrew Whittaker